Sawadee Khap, Sunday 30th September - We arrived in the Krabi Province, on the west coast of Thailand. Following a long day we decided to stay in Ao Nang which is a beach resort. We splashed out and stayed in a 4* hotel as it was too late to look for other accommodation.....well that was Jamie's excuse!!! Needless to say we ended up staying in the Hotel for two nights and enjoyed a bit of luxury. Didn't think much of Ao Nang itself, it is very touristy so we decided to head into Krabi town to check it out. This was on Monday morning. As we arrived it started raining and as we have previously said when it rains here it BLOODY rains. So we decided to take cover under "O'Malley's", low and behold an Irish pub!! Before we knew it we were having a "bra" conversation with two American guys and left the bar 6 hours later.....Oh and it was STILL raining! After a few drunken phone calls (sorry Spaci and Dino) we headed back to Ao Nang and decided that we wanted to spend a few days in Krabi Town. Tuesday 2nd October - We made our way by local bus to Krabi Town and booked into our accommodation, its called Ban To. We would advise anyone who reads our blog and is planning to travel to Krabi to stay here. Its as clean as a 4* Hotel but has a brilliant Hostel feel, Marc is bigging up the shower (we even think it beats Agnes's) and the rates are unbeatable 4 quid a night. Due to the rain (bloody Monsoon) we spent a few days eating, drinking and checking out the area and things to do during the remainder time we have left in Thailand. We also did our visa run as we needed to extend it for two more weeks, this meant taking a 12 hour bus journey to cross the Malaysian border, bit of a nightmare but needs must if you want to spend more than 30 days in Thailand. We have loved eating in Krabi and are enjoying the night markets, especially the Chicken noodles and Nutella Pancakes, yum yum yum!! Friday 5th Ocotber - Arrived in Koh Lanta Island, another part of the Krabi Provence. The Island was about 3 hours away from Krabi Town. We stayed at the south west part of the Island, a beautiful unspoilt bay with the most amazing beach and fantastic waves. A big difference from the shallow waters we experienced in the east. Our bungalow was up high in the forest and as you will see from the pics we had the most stunning view from our balcony!! The only complaint would have been the neighbours....MONKEYS! ha ha ha Marc freaked out a little but hey he wasn't the one who had a frisky monkey attack him. There I was minding my own business when the cute fury little Monkey decided to swing down from the trees and took a run and jump onto my leg....AAAHHHH Not funny at the time but the little guy was only playing. (so I was informed by the staff!) We stayed two nights and it was very relaxing, lots of swimming and surfing, the only problem was that we couldn't do the Phi Phi Island tour, which was kinda the reason we went in the first place. Never mind back to Krabi town... Sunday 7th October - Back to Krabi Town and our amazing shower in Ban To. We spent the afternoon Kayaking in Thalane Bay. Ao Thalane is a beautiful area with Mangrove forests mountains and caves. When it is the low tide the forest roots are exposed, giving the appreance of a "forest with feet". Mangrove forest absorbs silt and nutrients from the river and also functions as a nursery for marine creatures such as crabs, fish and oysters. We had a great guide who hacked a few oysters for us, and they couldn't have been any fresher MMMmmmmmm. We seen a sand dune with millions of tiny crabs and starfish, bit scared where we were stepping as there were so many of them. From there we followed the Mangroves through the caves until we encountered the Monkey family. This was the most scary but hysterically funny and surreal experience yet. Wild Monkeys, about 20 of them all jumping in and out of the water and onto our boat!! We fed them some pineapple and watched them clean it in the water before they ate it, fussy little b*****s. So cute though, they kept us very entertained for about 20 mins or so, and as you can see lots of pics...of course! Spent Sunday evening eating Pizza and speaking with some fellow travellers. Monday 8th October- We were really wanting to stay on Phi Phi island which is off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman sea, however after speaking with fellow backpackers and travellers we decided against it and opted for the 1 day boat trip, great choice if i dont say so myself! We were picked up at 7.30a. and headed to Ao Nang where our speed boat, Captain, and some of the crew awaited us. We couldn't have picked a better day for, the sun was shining and the mood was good. After a quick stop at Railay bay to pick up a few others we set off to Bamboo Island a very small un inhabited Island between Ao Nang and Phi Phi. it took about 45 mins to reach Bamboo Island, where we done a bit of snorkeling and some sun bathing, we boarded the boat and headed for Phi Phi. Phi Phi is made up of two islands, Phi Phi Lai and Phi Phi Don I think it means north and south anyway we headed for Phi Phi Lai first, this was where most of the film "THE BEACH" was shot. We stopped at the cave, its the bit in the Beach where Leo has to swim before actually findng "The Beach". Here we did some snorkeling, it was top quality, millions of fish, some nice coral and crystal clear water. After the cave we headed to MA Ya Bay this is where the majority of "THE BEACH" was filmed. The scenery and views were breathtaking but was slightly spoiled by the 30 or so speed boats, full of tourists all wanting a look, however if you could imagine this bay with no one on it, it would be pretty special. We had a nosey around through the forest area and Jamie imagined what it would be like to see Leo! (Yeah Right, keep dreaming J) After a paddle in the water we headed for Phi Phi Don which is the bigger of the 2 islands, supposedly after the tsunami they rebuilt it geared up for tourists more 5* hotels and resorts, shops etc etc. However it was still a beautiful island but very expensive compared to the rest of Thailand. After a bite to eat and a look around the shops, (oh i bought a couple of T-Shee's total quality, the stones and Beatles... Rock on) we set off again to our THIRD snorkel site, it was on the north east side of Phi Phi some beautifully coloured coral again, we also saw a couple of Nemo fish and barracuda. Jamie was feeding the fish some bread whilst in the water, so it meant that we were surrounded by hundreds of different fish all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes. It felt strange but a great experience. After all that excitement it was on to our final snorkel site which was like a shallow coral reef in the middle of the sea very peculiar but amazing. Again some nice fish and coral the only problem was my snorkel was bent and I kept getting a shed load of water in my mouth when inhaling, not to worry. We had another fab encounter with some fish! Back on board the boat, we headed back to dry land. It was a great day with some of the most amazing views and scenery we have ever seen in our lives. Whilst I (Marc) am finishing off writing our blog, Jamie is away getting her 4th Thai massage since arriving in Krabi.... I think she might be addicted!!! Well Folks this shall be our last blog entry from Thailand as we are leaving for Malaysia tomorrow. We have heard some kick ass reports from travellers about Malaysia so thought we would spent a bit longer there than we had first planned. We have had the most amazing Thai experience and would highly recommend it to anyone for a holiday or trip. There is so much to do and see, its very different from one end to the other...from the bustling streets of Bangkok, to the chilled out beaches of Koh Phangan, and the laid back attitude in Chaing Mai! There is something here for everyone. (God...I sound like i am a travel agent now) On a Seriouse note, Thailand is an actual DREAM!!!!!!! Choc de Khap..... Until next time, Marc and Jamie xxxx